Rape trial for Memphis businessman Mark Giannini set to start this week

Businessman Mark Giannini is scheduled for trial this week for the rape of a woman in 2014. Giannini is charged with raping three women over a period of 13 years. He has pleaded not guilty on all counts.
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September 29, 2016 - Mark Giannini (center) talks with attorney William Massey (left) and private investigator Rachael Geiser before a pretrial hearing. Giannini is accused of raping three women, and of attempting to bribe one of his alleged victims. (Brandon Dill/Special to The Commercial Appeal)(Photo: Brandon Dill)

A Shelby County businessman charged with raping a woman in 2014 after telling her she was interviewing for a job is scheduled for trial this week.

Mark Giannini, 51, who was an owner of the information technology firm Service Assurance and a former board member of the Boys and Girls Club of Greater Memphis, the Memphis Botanic Garden and the Greater Memphis Chamber of Commerce, is charged with raping three women beginning in 2002. He has pleaded not guilty on all counts, and the first of his trials is set for this week. A jury was selected Monday and opening statements were scheduled to begin Tuesday.

According to court records, a woman reported a friend gave her the phone number for a "millionaire" named Mark who could help her out with extra employment as a house cleaner and assistant for office work. She didn't call the number, but said he appeared unannounced at her workplace June 17, 2014 driving a fancy, red sports car, "possibly a Lamborghini."

She didn't commit to the job then and called him June 19, 2014 to see if it was still available. He said it was, but wanted to pick her up and show her the house. The man picked her up in a silver Jaguar, which was confirmed through video surveillance, according to the court records.

Once at his house, the woman said the man made her a drink. She said she was ready to go home, but he said "no you are not," grabbed her and aggressively kissed her, according to the court records. She reported he raped her and choked her. She said she then remembered waking up at Baptist Memorial Hospital - Memphis.

Giannini's $3 million bond was revoked after he was accused of paying a person to try to bribe a victim. In that case, a woman reported that she met Giannini at a Kroger in East Shelby County, and he paid her $1,200. She was told to “either entrap (the victim) on video doing drugs or having sex, or in the alternative, to offer (her) $150,000 to drop the prosecution against Giannini,” according to court documents.

The meeting happened a day before the woman was jailed on unrelated drug charges. The documents say she "has known Giannini for approximately six years, since she was 17 years old" and "over the course of these years, Giannini has provided (her) with drugs and money in exchange for sex, so that (she) could support her heroin addiction.”

Reach reporter Katie Fretland at kfretland@gannett.com or on Twitter: @katiefretland